Tirus Blackthorne
Tirus Blackthorne (11 BBY--), a strange and exotic near human, is a freelance financial advisor and investment broker. Biography Unknown Origins It all began with love. Kren Blackthorne was a spacer who occasionally picked up a shipment that some authorities could consider less than legal. Having a distaste for galactic politics, Kren spent most of his time in the outer rim and unknown regions, considering himself a fond collector of hyperspace routes that were not yet on galactic records. He traded most frequently in exotic faire and merchandise, and often would keep a few trinkets from his shipments, to help barter for special deals, or simply to decorate his ship. With the rise of the Galactic Empire, Kren devoted himself to traveling the unknown regions, where he felt safe from the hassles of border patrols and rebel cells. It was during these years where he encountered a strange, darkling woman, whom he quickly fell in love with. Tir Usta Prgeeta was the closest you could come to spelling her name in traditional basic. Kren never learned bout Tir Usta's homeworld, for Tir Usta was unable to speak basic. However, her darkling species possessed a unique ability - she was a telepath. Not in the traditional sense, she was unable to translate dialogue into the mind of her lover, but rather, was able to convey feelings to him. The two fell for each other and traveled the unknown regions for many years. They rarely shared words with each other, for it was little more than gibberish. Rather, their love and relationship grew in the secrecy of Tir Usta's telepathic and empathic medium, fostering an intimacy that few could share. In 11 BBY, Tir Usta Prgeeta was with child. Unknown to either, her darkling biology was unable to carry their son to a full term. She died a painful, grueling death four months into her pregnancy. Kren, heartbroken and desperate to preserve something of his love, begged the doctors to do whatever they could to save the unborn child. They took the child from her, and kept him in stasis for the duration of his pre-birth development. The trauma of such damaged his telepathic abilities, blinding him to the darkling abilities inherent in his late mother. Kren named the boy after his mother. He named him Tirus. The death of Tir Usta Prgeeta destroyed Kren. He quickly turned to alcohol, spice, and other narcotics to cope with the pain of his loss, and the sudden disappearance of his lover's soul from his mind. He never told young Tirus about his mother, for the loss was simply too painful to bear. When Tirus was a mere five years old, Kren learned that Jabba the Hutt had placed an impressive bounty on his head, for he owed Jabba far too much in drug money. He abandoned Tirus in the outer rim, and told his son he was sorry for failing him. Then, Kren went on the run, and was soon captured by Jabba's henchmen to be food for his Sarlaac. Vagabond Child (11 BBY-8 ABY) Tirus spent his childhood years growing up as a vagabond. With little memory of his father, and absolutely no memory of his mother and her heritage, the mixed darkling turned to survival. He started off on the trade center of Eriadu, where he would live at first by sneaking into basements and storerooms until getting caught and kicked out. After a few years, he felt trapped by the planet, fearing that he was running out of places to hide. That's when he first began stowing away on space vessels, and learned of the often overlooked charity that spacers and smugglers often display to vagabond kids like himself. While living as a vagabond teen, he had no formal education. Instead, he learned the real lessons of life by living it out day by day. He learned about politics, about society, and most importantly, he learned what things were worth. From trade agreements struck by business-savvy trade captains, to the simple value held by a strip of Rancor hide. Investor (8 ABY-18 ABY) He officially began his business on Gerrenthum. From there, he built his wealth through cleverly crafted investments, along with the occasional swindle. It wasn't until 15 ABY when it all came back to bite him in the arse. One of his most wealthy clients, a rich man from the Corporate Sector, found himself at the losing edge in one of Blackthorne's rarely pulled investment schemes. Bin Dresten lost millions... and had Tirus hunted down and brought to his mansion on Etti IV. Tirus managed to broker a deal with Dresten that would save his life, his reputation, and his career, but it cost him his fortunes and his space vessel. Swearing never to take the same risks again, Tirus began rebuilding his business and career, for the time being, satisfied to rely on public transport. However, he'd learned a thing or two about protecting his own assets, and while reconciling that it could take many years to rebuild his fortunes, he could do it at pace, and without risking his neck needlessly ever again. Recent Events (18 ABY) Fateful encounters would take place upon Blackthorne's first visit to the Wheel. There, he would meet a number of figures who might present him unique business opportunities. One such being Tiaba Solusar, owner of Solusar Entertainment Enterprises, and Sadim Gnik, Lord of the Wheel and Chairman of the Galactic Swoop League. He began to forge a friendship with Solusar, and accompanied her to the GSL races on Ord Mantell. It was there where he met the mysterious racer Can-cell Ghost. His encounter with her began as a dare. One of his drinking buddies dared Tirus that he couldn't get her de-masked, and he took him up on the bet. However, during the course of trying to win her over, he found that it was he who had started to become curious about this elusive, mysterious lady. Near the end of 18 ABY, Tirus found himself in a most unique position. Sadim Gnik had sought him out in secrecy, suspecting that an Imperial invasion of the Corporate Sector could inevitably cause galactic economic challenges. Sadim proposed the idea of a temporary Bank of the Wheel, a sprouting business that could serve to inject liquidity into a galactic environment frozen by a Bank of the Core whose leadership was stuck behind battle lines. Sadim offered Tirus the position of Governor, making him director of this newly forming financial institution. Tirus found himself in an uncomfortable position, for such work was not up his alley, and he didn't want to risk his rebuilt client base by taking up such a one-sided job. He accepted the job, on one condition - that a false identity be fashioned for him, one that would completely conceal his identity. Meanwhile, a growing fascination with the mysterious Can-Cell Ghost prompted Tirus to seek out Carnylla Distayre, hoping she might deliver a message to the elusive racer. She agreed to meet Tirus at an old pod-racing platform on Ithor. The two began to grow closer. Appearance and Equipment Having darkling blood in him, Tirus' skin was of a charcoal black. He was a taller being, rising to 1.91m, with a well built but not overly bulky frame. Inherited from his mother are a series of ridges that line his eyes and extend down his nose. Physiologically, he was otherwise very similar to humans, save for the blood that ran through his veins. Blue, not red, the blood was filled with the enzymes of his mother's darkling biology, and would glow when properly stimulated by the right hormones. This had the effect of rendering certain features, such as his eyes, some strands of hair, and even his fingernails and lips, of having a blue color which would glow or darken, depending on his mood. His hair was long and fine, a dark black with streaks of the iridescent blue running through it. He often wore it in a lengthy, over-the-eye style. His eyes held a feral look to them, with feline slits for pupils and an iris that glowed with the chemical energy in his bloodstream. His body grew very little hair otherwise, and so, much of it is lined with tattoos. They start in a thin, one-inch line running down from his ears, but end up carving patterns across his chest, torso, and back. His alien blood gave him a few unique traits. One such trait was an odd sleep cycle. He will follow the usual human cycle for anywhere from two to five days, but suddenly, his darkling mother's blood takes over, and he finds himself sleeping for only two to three hour chunks. While awake during these cycles, his tendency for violence is heightened, and as such, he frequently exercises or performs other physical activities to sate the heightened aggression until it passes.